Nearly 2 weeks after parting ways with coach Peter Cklamovski, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has soon announced its successor. The chosen name is not unfamiliar to fans in this country, when Mr. Tan Cheng Hoe officially returned to the position of head coach of the national team.
The announcement was made by FAM on June 25. According to the Malaysian football governing body, the appointment decision was made after a process of evaluating many criteria such as working experience, past achievements and understanding of the domestic football system.
The leadership expects the 58-year-old coach to help the team improve results in upcoming tournaments.
Mr. Tan Cheng Hoe is one of the experienced strategists of Malaysian football. Before taking on the role of captain of the national team, he spent many years as an assistant to coach Krishnasamy Rajagopal, who made great contributions to the successful period of Malaysian football in Southeast Asia.
Mr. Tan Cheng Hoe's biggest mark is leading the Malaysian team to win the runner-up position at the 2018 AFF Cup (later the ASEAN Cup). During this period, the "Malais Tigers" were highly appreciated for their open play and effective attacking ability. After the 2020 AFF Cup, he left the national team and moved to work at the club level.
The coach born in 1968 used to coach Selangor in Malaysia and Police Tero in Thailand, before returning to FAM as technical director in 2025. He was also present in the Malaysian national team participating in the match against Vietnam in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers earlier this year.
The reappointment of coach Tan Cheng Hoe is considered a priority choice for the stability of Malaysian football. With many years of experience working at the national team level and understanding of regional opponents, he is expected to help Malaysia prepare well for the ASEAN Cup 2026 as well as long-term goals ahead.
